Picnic PostEppie: Persona
by DJ Dubois
Summary: Following the confrontation with Bizarro, Clark and Lana have to deal with their own issues and try to save their relationship.  Please r & r!
1. Clark in the Barn

Picnic [Post-Eppie: Persona]

DJ Dubois

March 2010

Rating: T (Teen)

Notes: Smallville belongs to DC and the CW. Miranda is my character.

Chapter 1 [Kent Farm—Morning After]

A cold mist settled across Lowell County following the heavy downpour. Beads of wet glistened on the yellow grasses. While a few animals scurried about the woods, most remained in their dens for warmth.

Clark couldn't take such measures. He barely managed to sleep during the previous night; his mind swimming with his and Lana's encounter with Bizarro on the previous day. He hefted two hay bales from the truck into the barn and set them on the rest of the pile moodily. He knew that a talk with Lana was in order but he felt scarred and betrayed.

He'd tried to help Kara and Jor-El but nothing he did proved good enough for the Kryptonian family. Hell, in unleashing his mother's construct, he'd restored his vindictive uncle, Zor-El, to full potency as well. And for his efforts, Jor-El imprisoned him in an icy prison for the previous month.

While that was the case, Bizarro usurped his life. He'd lived in the house, worked the chores, consorted with his friends and came damn close to stealing Lana totally away.

Worse of all, he couldn't believe that Lana didn't notice the differences between him and his imperfect doppelganger. From what she had said in Oliver's penthouse, she had never felt more in love than she had during the previous month with Bizarro—a definite shot in the gut if there was one. She'd missed how the other's face changed in the sunlight and all of the other cues that something was amiss.

Then again, she liked how different things seemed at that point.

_Why can't she understand? WHY? _He hated the heaviness in the house. But he also felt the jealousy and rage brewing inside of himself. He threw a hay bale over the Loft's rail and against the upper wall. He clenched his fist in frustration. _Jor-El trapped me up there. I'm romantic! If I didn't have these responsibilities, I'd be fine! _

"Wow. Somebody fell out of bed on the wrong side this morning. Maybe you should cut back on the Wheaties, Clark?"

He turned to find Chloe standing just inside of the doorway. "Hey, Chloe. What's going on?"

"You tell me. Normally you don't go pitching things like that. Moody and sulky, okay. Making like an Olympic shot putter not so much," she responded. "I thought you got rid of Bizarro. What's going on?"

"Just doing chores. Chasing Bizarro and tracking down Dak-Sur took time," he reported.

She rolled her eyes knowing full well he could do everything in the blink of an eye if he had wanted to. "Been there, know that. Sorry I couldn't sleep so I decided to see what my favorite couple was up to. Lana's already gone. Now I find you like this. You can talk to me, you know."

"Just some things Lana and I need to work out, Chloe. It isn't a big deal," he informed her pointedly.

"_Isn't a big deal? _CLARK, COME ON! This is LANA we're talking about! You're just going to give up like this?" She threw her hands up in the air in disgust. "She thought Bizarro was YOU! Okay? Yeah she was with him. She enjoyed the romance. She was swept off of her feet. But that was because she thought he was YOU!"

He brooded over the situation. "I wish I could have Jor-El take my gifts away for good this time. That week without them was great."

She snickered. "Oh yeah if you count getting waylaid by the Belle Reeve escapees or breaking into LuthorCorp with me or nearly dying. In all of those cases, Clark, yeah it was awesome. The world's not going to stop just because you want it to! More people know your secret than you care to admit. They aren't going to forgive and forget just because you want them to!"

"Then how can I have a life, Chloe? Oliver and the others can handle it! I just want to be left alone!" he retorted fiercely while whipping a bale over the Loft's rail and smacking it against the far wall.

"Some people have a higher calling than others. Clark, you're a hero to so many people. There's sacrifice wrapped up in that. If you want to have a life with Lana, both of you are going to have to find a balance in that," she pointed out. "In the meantime, Lana's your priority. You have a choice. Either sit here and pout in the barn with your telescope or surprise her with something. Meantime, how about a break from the Bomber Farmer routine and get some coffee on me? There's a coffee place in Granville that's okay. You can check on Alicia and Kyla if you want to."

He nodded. "I'll shower and change. Thanks, Chloe." He took off toward the house at super speed.

_That's our Speedy! _She took three steps toward her car.

That was all the time it took for Clark to rejoin her in a fresh set of clothes and in a better mood.

"See that put a spring in the Romeo's step!" she teased. "Come on, Clark. Let's get those ideas rolling."

As they pulled away, he felt himself relaxing. A coffee break was in order. So were the visits in question. That and an idea was starting to form in his brain…..


	2. Lana faces her own issues

Chapter 2 [Talon—about fifteen minutes earlier]

As with Clark, Lana dealt with the moodiness and surliness within the house by getting out and busying her mind. While he did chores in the barn, she showered and drove her blazer into town for a coffee escape at the Talon. _I didn't deliberately cheat on him! How was I to know that it was Bizarro and not Clark? He was SO like that week when he was without his powers! Why can't Clark just pay attention to me? WHY? _She smacked the steering wheel with her hands in frustration and felt tears stinging her eyes. _I love him! Why can't he put me first? _She took a breath and wiped her eyes. Then she got out of the vehicle and headed into the former theater.

The Talon was a ghost town, echoing her footfalls back at her. Strangely enough, not many people occupied the café at that particular moment. Three people talked quietly at the corner table over by the staircase.

Miranda Arighatto, her longtime friend, saw her come in and noted the frown. _Now what? _She immediately fetched a metal cup, poured milk into it and started the frothing.

Lana walked over to the counter. "Hi, Miri. What's going on? Weird to see the place so deserted."

"Yeah it is. Chalk it up to the recession. You'd think the gloom would bring the caffeine junkies out. Even Chloe ditched me this morning," Miranda griped. "Speaking of ditching, how come you're here so early? I would've thought you and Clark would've been enjoying some quality time together?"

Lana shrugged. "We've…got problems to work out. Things weren't quite what they seemed."

The sensei rolled her eyes. "And here we go again. Don't tell me Mr. Plaid got cold feet _already_?" She mixed up the cappuccino and grabbed two bran muffins from the case. "Start on the drink. I'll have your muffin ready in a minute." She motioned to the blonde waitress in the corner. "Winnie, watch out front for me please? I'm taking a break." She poured herself a coffee, set that cup in addition to the two muffins on a tray and headed for the back room. She shut the door. "So what happened? I thought there were finally sparks going off between you two."

Lana sighed. "It's been great, Miri. Clark was so romantic and giving. He made time for me. The old concerns weren't that big of a deal. And then…." She frowned and wiped her eyes off.

"And then what? Did he hurt you?" Miranda demanded.

"No…I found out it was a dose of the Smallville weirdness," Lana continued. She blew her nose on a tissue and then washed her hands in the sink before continuing on her muffin. "Clark had a clone."

_That _got the waitress' attention. "A _clone_? So the guy I saw you with at the Farm and here wasn't Clark Kent?"

Lana grimaced. "Technically he was. But he wasn't my Clark. I can't believe I didn't see it!" She stood and paced the room. "It seemed so perfect."

"Maybe because you didn't want to see it?" The waitress shook her head. "Even if this is Smallville, I can't believe there were two of him."

"There were until I had to choose. I…umm…destroyed him," she admitted.

"You destroyed him? With what, a dose of reality?" Miranda supposed.

"A blue meteor rock. He blew up. I just wish I understood why this stuff keeps happening to Clark and me!" Lana continued.

Miranda's head swum with those facts. _Lana was around a clone? Where was Clark during that time? _She could see that her friend didn't want to play twenty questions. Rather the latter needed to be nudged gently back onto the right path. She took a deep breath and advised, "Lana, you've wanted to be with him since we were in grade school. Now you've got that. You both have struggled with your respective issues. For a month, you achieved the peace you wanted," she noted while biting into her own muffin and washing that down with coffee. "Sometimes when things are going the way we want, we overlook the obvious because it's inconvenient."

"Kind of like dropping a piece of crystal?" Lana guessed.

"Right. My master used to say is that we are a sum of our good and bad points. Everything has to be in balance. Our lives are a continuing struggle to achieve that harmony. Clark is wrapped up in himself some times. When he is, give him a theoretical kick in the pants. But you can be that way too when you feel like you don't have enough in your life," her friend continued.

"Like when?" Lana queried defensively.

"Like when you went to Paris and brought back that guy, Jason, last year? Maybe your obsession over getting back at Lex for the stuff that happened between you both? I know there's more to that situation than you told me. Point is, Lana, if you love him, open up to each other. Talk these things through. You two have a symmetry. Use it or you'll lose him," Miranda advised.

Lana drank her coffee while pondering that point. "Meaning what?"

"A relationship is about give and take. Remember how you were when Whitney went off to join the Marines? Clark's got that in him too. Don't ask me why but it's the feeling I get about him." Miranda smirked. "You do fall for the heroes, don't you?"

"I do. I don't regret it. There is something special about Clark. As much as he helps people, he should do more. I feel like I'm holding him back. I don't want him to resent me," Lana pointed out.

"You mean like dealing with those frat boys from KU? Oh yeah, I remember him on trash detail. But let's say he becomes an officer or a fireman, could you handle that? If you have even a small piece of him, would that be enough?" Miranda rebutted.

Lana sulked. "Why can't we just live on the farm and be happy that way? It would be so easy."

"Some people aren't allowed such bliss, Lana. Life has plans for us all. Right now, you have to find your own way. Where you and Clark go is up to you both to decide. Talk to him. Remind him that you love him and not this clone. You've gotten past some situations in the past. Have faith," Miranda indicated.

Lana nodded and ate her muffin. "So I have to decide if sharing Clark is better than not having him at all?"

"Precisely," Miranda agreed while rubbing her friend's arm. "Sorry I have to be getting back up to the front. Sit back here as long as you want and think about what we've talked about. You've got a good deal with Clark. Don't let it go without a fight." With that, she headed through the door and back to the floor.

Lana finished her breakfast moodily. _Why can't I have Clark all to myself? It isn't fair. The world keeps taking and taking from us. _She finished the muffin and cappuccino. _I guess we have duty, don't we? _With that, she headed out through the café and to her blazer. She determined to drive and put her thoughts in order.

Then that talk with Clark would be forthcoming…


	3. The Lunch

Chapter 3 [Kent Farm—11:20 AM]

After a morning's drive around Granville, an insightful talk over coffee, a visit to the Center Floral Shop and some time with their friends, Chloe pulled back into the dirt driveway and parked in front of the barn. Admittedly she still wished that Clark would've done something like this for her. However she also had accepted that he wasn't hers to love.

Listening to him talk to Alicia and Kyla brought that home for her as well.

"Have your plan ready, Farm Boy?" she asked him.

Clark shook himself out of his reverie. "Hmm? Oh yeah. I am."

"Big play for you, Clark. Don't fumble it," she jabbed playfully.

"I'll try." He flushed red in spite of himself.

_Same Clark. Even if she's not wearing the necklace, he still falls all over himself where Lana's concerned. _"All right then. I have to get back to the _Ledger_. Good luck with Lana. Make her feel like a princess. All right?"

"I will. Thanks, Chloe, for everything," he expressed while getting out of the car. He unloaded a bouquet of daisies, a bag of groceries and a red checkered table cloth.

"That's what friends are for. Go for it," she coached before driving off down the driveway.

_Go for it she says. Yeah right! _He hauled his stuff through the front door and set it in the kitchen. Then he set to work on the feast. Not knowing when Lana would return, he did so at super speed, blurring around the area to make chicken salad sandwiches, wrap them and place them in the picnic basket. He poured lemonade into Martha's best glass pitcher. He spread the new tablecloth over the table. He tossed a salad, dressed it with a bottled vinaigrette and set it in the fridge to chill. Then he set the table and lit two white candles in its center. Finally he placed the daisies by her place and smiled.

His enhanced hearing heard a car pulling in the driveway.

He used his x-ray vision to determine it was the Guest of Honor herself.

_Here we go! _He felt his nerves churning.

Lana felt better as she parked her blazer in front of the house. After the talk and coffee at the Talon, she'd gone for a long drive to weigh on her own thoughts. She'd visited with her parents at the cemetery both to reflect on how things had gone and to fill them in. She'd even seen Chloe just pass her on the road minutes earlier.

Rather than let the process sidetrack her for its own sake, she used it to clarify her own priorities. She knew the vendettas had to go. She had to leave Lex in the past—easier said than done but it had to happen. She also needed to let go of Bizarro too.

Clark was her life now. She needed to embrace that wholeheartedly. She needed him to see that she could stand with him on the hero's path. Maybe she didn't have the powers anymore but she had the heart for the job.

_Hopefully Clark will see that too. _She headed up the walk and hesitated in front of the door. Her butterflies ate at her stomach. "Here goes." She opened the door and walked into the house. Seeing the candlelit surprise on the table made her mouth drop in surprise. "Clark?"

"Right here, Lana," he declared warmly. "Did you have a good drive?"

"I did. Sorry I didn't leave you a note." She blushed. "I needed to think through some things. I'm sorry…that I said what I did yesterday."

"You were being honest." He let out a heavy sigh. "We haven't had a lot of that lately on either end, have we?"

"Letting our own agendas swamp us isn't such a good thing, is it?" she supposed. "Clark, I'll admit that the time I spent with the other you was wonderful. But you've given me moments like those too. I know you can do it. Even a few sprinkled in amongst the save-the-world routine would be great."

"You can deal with that?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "If I'm going to share this life with you, Clark Kent, then I'm going to have to. Just love and appreciate me too. Okay?"

"I have every day." He bowed his head. "I'm not the greatest at showing it though."

"You are now," she assured him. She surveyed his handiwork. "Wow. Looks like the whole deal. I think this is a pretty good start if you ask me." She picked up her daisies and took a whiff. "Mmmm. Are you sure you're the real Clark?" she teased.

"I deserved that," he admitted while stepping into the sunlight and letting it bathe him in its radiance. "It's really me, Lana. I'm right here for you. If you can accept me then I need to include you. Since it's a little cold to have it outside, I figured a picnic indoors was a good thing." He shrugged bashfully. "I only made sandwiches. I hope that's all right."

"If you made them for us then that's all I'd ever want," she assured him. "And that's what I've always wanted to hear." She set the daisies back on the table before crossing the room to his side. "I want to help us find the way. I'm going to have to give a little more and be patient. I just need to know you love me."

In answer to that plea, he pulled her close to himself. He locked lips with her, letting his warmth and energy flow into her, nourishing her spirit, seeding the fields of her psyche with hope.

She returned the gesture with her own, melting the icy doubts and fears away. As with a bird knowing the way home, her heart had found its way home.

"Never doubt that," he declared to her. He looked her firmly in the eye and affirmed, "I love you, Lana. You and nobody else."

"And I, you. I may not be the best either. Maybe we might figure out an arrangement where I can help you through ISIS? You can help me too," she suggested.

"I'd love that, Lana," he agreed enthusiastically. "I can't believe you want that though."

"I want to share your life, Clark. That includes helping you with the burdens and questions," she noted. "And the joys as well." She painted that notion onto his lips with another stroke of her own for emphasis. "Now let's enjoy our picnic, shall we?"

He took her hand and guided her to her place. Then after she'd sat down, he did so as well. "To us then."

She let her eyes sparkle and gave him a dreamy smile. "To us."

And in such ways, Love won the day and reestablished a beachhead for herself.


	4. Romantic Bliss and Understanding

Conclusion [A Week Later—Kent Farm]

Over the course of the next week, they set their new understanding into motion. Cooking and chores were shared. Issues came up and were dealt with.

Brainiac attempted to infect Lana and Chloe. However with Kara's help and Jor-El's guidance, Clark stopped that effort and the Kryptonian construct in its tracks.

Lex still stewed in his juices over the developing relationship at the Farm. Although he did nothing at that time, he remained a threat.

On a positive note, Clark and Lana collaborated with Chloe to establish a system to find meteor mutants. Over late night pizza, sodas and of course, coffee, ISIS's system probed for people to assist rather than for spying. Then they reached out to their affected friends and even made new ones.

And so the new life progressed…..

As with the night following Bizarro's passing, a steady rain fell on the Kansas countryside and against the bedroom windows toward the end of that first week.

Clark stared at the ceiling early that morning. As sunrise remained hours away, darkness cloaked the room and his vision. Still he didn't need to see what was important. He felt the warmth of his love lying beside him. He listened with his enhanced hearing.

Her gentle breaths caressed the night.

Her heartbeat reassured him of her constant faith and presence.

He sighed. "I almost lost this."

She stirred and cracked her eyes open. "Mmm…lost what, Clark? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Sorry I woke you. I was just thinking of how perfect everything is," he apologized.

She cuddled up to him. "I couldn't agree more, _Mr. Kent._" She kissed his cheek. "And don't apologize for needing me. That's what we here for." She smiled reassuringly at him. "I knew you could be like this."

"Like what?"

She shrugged. "Not just being wrapped up with every cat in the tree or the next big Kryptonian riddle. You realize the need for us too. That's what I was waiting for all along. We both deserve the romance. Just keep me in mind along with the rest of the world and things will be great. Now let's go back to sleep."

He snaked his arm around her shoulders. "Right. Just relax."

She smiled and closed her eyes.

And so they rested in Love's embrace knowing that with Faith, any barrier could be overcome. Once Clark and Lana had shared their agendas and dispelled their secrets, Life's path had far less bumps and potholes.

Thus should be the lesson for all lovers as they sail the seas of _amor_…..

THE END


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